What Was Good Design? MoMA's Message 1944-56
6th May - 30th November '09
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY
At mid-century, The Museum of Modern Art played a leading role in the definition and dissemination of so-called Good Design, a concept that took shape in the 1930s and emerged with new relevance in the decades following World War II.
Exploring MoMA’s legacy in the Good Design debate, ‘What Was Good Design? MoMA’s Message 1944-56’, presents over 100 selections from the Museum’s collection—ranging from domestic furnishings and appliances, to textiles, sporting goods, and graphics—to illuminate the primary values of Good Design as promoted by MoMA.
Iconic pieces by designers including Marcel Breuer, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Hans Wegner are featured alongside more unexpected items such as a hunting bow and a plumb bob, as well as everyday objects including an iron, a hamper, a rake, a cheese slicer, and Tupperware.
Full Scale Model of Chaise Longue (La Chaise) by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948. ©2008 The Museum of Modern Art
Floor Chair (Model 1211-C) by Alexey Brodovitch, c. 1950. ©2008 The Museum of Modern Art
Plumb Bob by O.J. Kuker, c. 1948. ©2008 The Museum of Modern Art
Pepper Mill, Salt Dish, and Spoon by Trudi Sitterle and Harold Sitterle, 1949-50. ©2008 The Museum of Modern Art
